Strong winds can loft small pieces of dust high into Earth's atmosphere. Dust particles can absorb or scatter incoming sunlight, reducing the amount of light and energy that reaches the planet's surface. This reduction in sunlight tends to cool Earth's surface. This picture shows a large desert sandstorm in Iraq on April 27, 2005. Image courtesy of the U.S. Dept. of Defense; photo by Cpl. Alicia M. Garcia, U.S. Marine Corps.